Letter-slot attachment.



J. POPENHAGBN. LETTER SLOT ATTAHMEN T. u 1 L1oAT10N FILED MAY 1a, 1910.

Patented Dec. 27, 1910.

Arran/vm JOSEPH POIENI-IAGEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

LETTER-SLOT ATTACHMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 27, 1910.

Application filed. May 13, 1910. Serial No. 561,184.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, JosnPr-r PornNHAGnN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Letter-Slot Attachment, of which the kvfollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a new and improved attachment for trunks, whereby the owner may leave instructions with a servant or other person to have his mail, as it comes during his absence, inserted in a slot opening in the trunk, so that it will be safe and secure until his return.

This application is an improvement on the invention disclosed in my application Serial No. 527,394, filed November 11, 1909, and has for its purpose the simplification of .the structure and the lessening of the cost of manufacture.

An object of this invention is to provide a device which will be simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, strong, durable, and easily operated.

A further object of this invention is to provide a trunk with an inner receptacle and an outer face plate, all of which have alined openings through which mail matter may be inserted into the interior of the trunk, and with a guard plate adapted to project across the path of the alined openings, so as to protect the contents of the trunk.

These and further objects, together with the construction and combination of parts, will be more fully described hereinafter and particularly set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this speeification, in which similar characters of refer'- ence indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and in which- Figure 1 is a fragmentary outside view in perspective; Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the sepa rate parts of the device, 1 indicates a receptacle, preferably in the form of a trunk, which may be closed by any suitable form of cover 2, and is provided with an inner receptacle 3, which may be in the form of a tray or drawer, supported in any well known manner by the trunk proper. The tray 3 is provided with a slot or opening 4, which preferably diverges inwardly and extends in alinement with a slot or opening 5 in the trunk 1.

Extending in front of the slot 5, there is provided a face plate 6, which also has a letter slot opening 7 therein, extending in alinement with the slots 4 and 5. The face plate 6 may be secured in any well known manner to the body of the trunk, as by means of the fastening devices 8.

For the purpose of closing the slot opening 5 and preventing the intrusion of matter into the trunk or the loss of matter from the trunk, there is provided a guard 9, slidingly mounted in a cavity formed in the plate 6' and interposed between the plate and the side of the trunk.

For the purpose of removing the Guard 9 from its position projecting across the path of the alined openings 4, 5 and 7, there is provided a button 10 on the outside of the plate 6, which has a lug 11 secured thereto in any well known manner and extending through a vertically-disposed slot 12 m the plate 6. The lug 11 is slidingly mounted on a rod 13, which is supported at its opposite end on a lug. 14 projecting inwardly from and secured to the face plate 6.

Interposed between the lugs 11 and 14, there is provided a spring 15, which is adapted to yieldingly hold the guard 9 in its normal raised osition, projected across the path of the alined openings. The lugs 11 and 14 and the spring 15 are located 1n a cavity 16 formed in the trunk 1 and covered by the face plate 6.

The use of my device will be readily understood when taken in connection with the above description.

The owner of the trunk, on leaving for a trip of greater or less extent, can leave in struetions with a suitable person to deposit all the mail which may come for him durin his absence, in his trunk, so that there wil be no danger of its being lost or tampered with. The person so instructed merely has to depress the button 10 when it is desired to insert a piece of mail matter, as indicated in Fig. 3, and thereby lower the guard 9 and permit the insertion of the mail matter through the alined letter slots 7, 5 and 4, so that the letter will be de osited into the tray 3. The guard 9 wil automatically close when the pressure is released on the button 10, so as to prevent the intrusion of, dust or other matter into the tray 3, and will further prevent the mail in the tray 3 from falling out.

While I have shown one embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to be limited to the specific details thereof, but desire to be protected in various changes, inodiiications and alterations which I may make within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent l. 'Ihe combination with a trunk, of a receptacle in said trunk, said trunk and said receptacle having alined openings, a face plate secured to said trunk, having an opening extending in alinement with said firstmentioned openings, a guard interposed between said plate and said trunk and adapted to be extended across the path of said alined openings, a button slidingly mounted on said plate, a lug on said button adapted to manipulate said guard, and al spring engaging said lug, for actuating said button.

2. The combination with a receptacle having an opening therein, of a face plate on said receptacle having an opening extending in alinement with said first-mentioned opening, a lug on said plate, a rod supported by said lug, a spring on said rod, a button slidingly mounted on said plate and having a lug engaging said rod, and a guard secured to said first-mentioned lug and adapted to be projected across the path of said alined openings by means of said spring.

3. The combination with a receptacle having a slot therein, of a face plate connected to said receptacle and having a slot extending in alinement with said first-mentioned slot, said receptacle having a cavity therein, a button slidingly mounted on said :tace plate and having a lug extending into said cavity, said face plate having a lug eX- tending into said cavity, a rod located in said cavity and secured to said second-men tioned lug and slidingly engaging said firstmentioned lug, a spring interposed between said lugs, and a guard slidingly mounted between said receptacle and said face plate and engaging said first-mentioned lug, whereby it is adapted to be actuated by said spring.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specifi-cation in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH POPENHAGEN.

Witnesses:

FRANKLIN J. DEWEY, JOSEPH F. I-IAAs. 

